Man who sparked searches: DiBattiste is dead

MUNCIE – A man who's already been accused of leading authorities on a wild goose chase in their search for a missing Dunkirk woman has told investigators she is dead and he disposed of her body.

Police agencies looking for 25-year-old Brianna DiBattiste, last seen by her family on June 16, have recently been focusing their search efforts on rural Henry County based on leads provided by Curtis Ray Neal, also of Dunkirk.

At least some of the Henry County search efforts have focused on an area near Blue River Elementary School, along Henry County Road 350-N.

Chief Henry — who kick-started the investigation into DiBattiste's disappearance after her mother, who also lives in Albany, contacted him in late June when her initial calls to authorities didn't result in action — wouldn't say on the record whether Neal admitted to playing a role in DiBattiste's death.

And Henry noted that authorities can't say conclusively that DiBattiste is dead because they don't know whether Neal is telling the truth.

Curtis Neal(Photo: Photo provided)

"I don't have any evidence to prove it or disprove it," said Henry, who added he met with DiBattiste's family Wednesday evening and talked to them about what authorities have done since the series of searches began Aug. 13.

Neal is charged with obstruction of justice, false informing and being a habitual offender stemming from police searches of a downtown Muncie house on Aug. 13 and a nature preserve near Upland in Grant County on Aug. 14. Neither search produced DiBattiste's remains.

Neal's information has led police agencies to perform "three or four" searches in Henry County since mid-August, Henry said Thursday. None of those searches led to the discovery of remains.

So why are police following up on tips from Neal, who remains in the Jay County jail, awaiting trial in that county on charges of driving while intoxicated and unlawful possession of a syringe?

"He's got a lot of information," Henry said. "A lot of it has been lies. But he's got some decent information and details of things that we know are factual."

Because DiBattiste was a heroin user, the investigation into her disappearance has led police to places in Indiana and Ohio where sales and use of the drug are known to occur.

When authorities served a search warrant at an apartment in the 300 block of South Council Street on Aug. 13, they arrested its occupant, Jeremiah Rupel, 33, after allegedly finding heroin in his possession.

Formal charges have not been filed against Rupel, who has since been released from the Delaware County jail.

Neal — who Delaware County authorities said at one point tried to link Rupel to DiBattiste's disappearance — is scheduled to return to Muncie on Tuesday, for an initial hearing on the criminal charges stemming from the mid-August searches he prompted.

An Albany woman asks the public to help find her daughter, who has been missing since mid-June. Brianna DiBattiste was last seen in Dunkirk June 16, 2014.By Lathay Pegues

A former New Castle resident, Neal has a long criminal record, with convictions for crimes including forgery, theft, battery, auto theft and trafficking in a controlled substance.

Henry asked that anyone with information about DiBattiste continue to contact authorities, as people have been doing on an almost daily basis for several weeks.

"Because of us not being able to prove (Neal's) statements, if somebody has some information, it's still important for them to come forward, because we cannot prove this," Henry said.

Contact Keith Roysdon at (765) 213-5828 and follow him on Twitter: @keithroysdon. Contact Douglas Walker at (765) 213-5851 and follow him on Twitter: @DouglasWalkerSP.